Revell 1/25 Bronco Models, the Good, The Weird and The Ugly

Let's get something straight before we begin, I am not critiquing these models to be mean, I am hoping to raise the level of authenticism in the modeling community when it comes to building these Revell Bronco kits.

So, if you are one of the builders of these Broncos, do not take the words personally.

 The Good

These first two were built by a person with an excellent eye for detail

He used parts from Fireball Model Works and some parts from other kits to build this beauty. The paint work is superb

Great detail on the engine, spark plug wires, fuel line and heater hoses really bring the realism

He did screw up on the rear housing. Broncos use a 9" rearend, which has a drop in center section, there is no rear cover, so the housing should be all one color.

Here is his other build, a very realistic looking Bronco with rear flares only (very common in the early days). The window tinting was done just right. He also got all the chrome detail correct, especially around the door window frame, something most builders miss or ignore.

Here is another great build, the builder used parts from Fireball and other kits as well as some scratch-built pieces.

The only real complaint I have is with the rims, he used the tires and wheels from a Jeep kit and there are no front hubs and the bolt pattern is incorrect

Another good build using parts from Olson Brothers, Fireball Model Works and others

The detail on the rear taillights here is superb, something not too many builders get correct.

This one was from the Olson Brother's website; the builder used their door inserts and fold down windshield frame to recreate a U13 Roadster.

I only have a couple of complaints here. He should have used the Fireball grill which would be correct for a 1966-68 Bronco (the U13 Roadster was only available through '68). The second is the seats should be silver, they appear white with silver inserts. Other than that, he did a fantastic job and was the inspiration for me to create a 1966 U13 Roadster

This one appears to use the parts from the Fireball Model Works Baja Bronco upgrade kit, all in all a very clean build

Another custom build using parts from various sources

Another one, looks very realistic

This guy did a pretty good job and even built one into a pick-up, Fireball, Olson Brothers and some serious kit bashing were required to build this blue Bronco

Another good all-around build that uses Fireball Model Works parts

Another clean build, the builder came close to mimicking the "Hot Ginger" color that Ford offered on the Bronco. This builder got a lot of things right, he even cut the glass out of the windows, leaving the frames and painted them chrome

Here is another build that inspired me to build a 6-cylinder 1966 U13 Roadster

The builder went through the trouble of finding a Ford six-cylinder engine, single exhaust and he eliminated the double shocks that come with the kit

These next ones were built to look like used & abused Broncos

I have to give special kudos to these builders, not so much for the models, but the diorama backgrounds they use.....this first one has me thinking about building a couple of dioramas

The Weird: 

This one is a little weird, but I guess the builder wanted a Trans-Am/road course style Bronco??

The Bad:

Where do I start? This one was for sale on ebay, he listed it as a 1977 Baja Bronco, two problems with that, one they didn't make the Baja Bronco after the 1975 model year and two, that is not a 1977 body (no gas doors).

The goal of scale modeling is to build something that looks exactly like the real thing, so attention to detail is important, if you look he used the Bronco Sport emblems on one side and the Baja Bronco ones on the other.

The door openings were cut with the wrong knife or overcut, and what is up with that hood? It appears he tried to mold his own....and failed miserably

Another mistake, way too much paint. By applying too much paint you remove a lot of the small details

This one was probably built by a builder of military models, the problem with slinging mud onto a model, is that you cannot see the modelers fine work or lack thereof 

This guy went weird, not with the color, but with the windows, and why did he cut the vents out of the hood?

another one with the hood vents cut out, in all my years of hanging around Broncos (53 years) I have never seen a real Bronco with the hood vents removed and why is their a Bronco script emblem on the hood?